So much to say!

Well, it has obviously been a while since my last post. A good deal of stuff has happened since then. I took a new job that uprooted us from our home and support system. It is a great job (and I've already been promoted), but it was hard to leave. The newest bit of information is that I started on the Omnipod pump system. I started mine about two weeks after my two year old started. Oh boy am I going to have some stories about that. It has been great so far though. The first real post I am working on has to do with the BG of 28 that I saw last week. That was scary. Hope to get consistent on here again. I have missed the outlet.

Request for seven things about me

So, Shannon posted on her blog seven things about herself in reply to a nomination she received. Then she asked me to do the same. I guess I put it off because I didn't figure that anyone would really want to know about me. However, she asked and is something that I can do for her. So read if you like, or skip it if you are so inclined. Up to you.

1. I have never lived anywhere other than the state of Virginia. The state of confusion doesn't count (although I have dual residency). I grew up in Spotsylvania outside of Fredericksburg. I went to school at Longwood College in Farmville, which coincidentally is where I met Shannon. Right after school I moved to Front Royal for my first year of working in the schools. I have lived in Chesapeake ever since.

2. Peter Pan is my hero. I am a kid at heart. I love to play video games. I really enjoy playing airsoft with my nephews and brother in law. It is a great release for me. I believe in magic. No really, it's out there. We just don't look closely enough :)

3. I have always wanted to be a writer. I have written several children's books which are housed safely in my journal. I have an ongoing book of poetry, which at last check had about 60-70 poems in it. I have started numerous novels before getting caught up on everyday life and not working on them again. One day i will sit down and write one of the many stories in my head. Even if it's just for me.

4. I am a speech pathologist working as a specialist with a school devision which caters almost predominantly to children with autism. Years ago i would have told you that this was the last place I would want to work. It just wasn't an interest for me. I was fortunate to be forced, through lack of options, to take a job here. I have never looked back. I love the kids that I get to work with. I feel like i am making a difference. Now i spend more time shaping the clinicians i have on my team, but i like sharing that knowledge as well.

5. I have two very strange obsessions. I collect man bags and pens. I call these obsessions because they really don't make sense. Unique and beautiful pens have always been a weakness. I especially love hand turned, wooden pens. It's hard to explain. The bag issue is just as strange. I use multiple bags on a daily basis out of necessity. I have to be able to carry my laptop, paperwork, and all therapy materials to all of the schools i go to. So whenever i see a bag in the store, i am always thinking of ways i can use it, and why it is better than the bags i already own. It's a sickness. I know.

6. I have a not so secret desire to go back to school to get my Ph.D. I have known for years that it was something that I wanted to do. In grad school i led a study group for several of our classmates. They were always saying that I was able to explain concepts in a way that made sense. More often than not, information wasn't understood until I re-explained it. That was a big compliment for me, and I thought from that point on that I would loke to teach at the college level.

7. I have wanted to be many things in my lifetime. The list is long but includes a firefighter, FBI agent, lawyer, doctor, actor, writer, teacher, college professor, Military officer, lifeguard, and pilot to name a few. The one thing that i have known I wanted to be for many years that actually stuck was a Father. My boys are incredible. It helps that they have an incredible Mother. To look at them and imaging all of the accomplishments that they will have in their lifetime is wonderful. I love racing cars and serving as a mountain to climb on. I love teaching them about sports, and animals, and art. It is a scary thought that Shannon and I are shaping them into the men that they will become, but i know that I will be so proud of them. No matter what.

So there are some facts about me. Take from it what you will. I like being me :)

Awesome Easter Bunny!

The Easter Bunny is awesome! At our house, the Easter Bunny's name is Shannon. I know that you are all already aware that my wife is awesome. Sunday, she surpassed even herself. She has been shopping for months for the boys Easter baskets, because we didn't want to over do the candy. They got little action figures, cars, bubbles, and several other things. In the center of the table was a bowl full of candy. Then there was the note from the Easter Bunny which read, "I know how hard counting carbs can be, so I left the bags for you." Talk about laying groundwork for the future. The boys had an amazing morning. I made pancakes and the we all enjoyed church. Simple pleasures, right. I just wanted to note how amazing our "bunny"visit was this year!

Out of the mouth of babes...

Do you know the show "Kids say the darnedest things"? That is a true statement if there ever were one. My boys are totally adorable. This post though, is about my Non-D 5 year old, Jackson. Now, let me preface this post with the fact that Jackson is "all boy". He loves to play rough, race his cars, and run around like crazy. All in all, he is such a sweet little guy, and I was reminded of that last night.

We were getting ready for bed, and Jackson had a dreaded case of the hiccups. Shannon and I tried getting him to take deep breaths, and take sips of water, but nothing was working. Suddenly Shannon gave him a "boo" and it startled him, but the hiccups were still there. He asked why she did that and Shannon told him that sometimes a little scare would frighten the hiccups away.

Now the cute part. My very smart 5 year old sat there and thought for a second. Then he turned around, waited for me to look at him, and then shouted "boo" at me. I looked at him funny, and he responded "Daddy I thought I could scare yours and Joshua's Diabetes away." All I could do was smile. He may be a typical five year old in a lot of ways, but in my eyes, he is exceptional!

A Poem for that horrible day

I wrote this shortly after coming home from the hospital with Joshua, after a long stay in the PICU:

Your skin so pale
like gray fallen snow
with fear and concern all around
your eyes stayed closed
and your body so limp
in stillness you made not a sound

The doctors all wondered
what it could be
"He's so young, he must just be ill"
time went so slow
all more confused
you lay on the table so still

A sudden alarm
your sugars too high
how do we help you come back
the IV's won't go in
your body's too dry
the doctors came in like a pack

They moved us upstairs
the PICU was ready
the nurses, their best of the best
eyes flutter open
fear and relief side by side
more blood needed for each new test

Our fear more intense
tears hit the floor
to see you with tubes in your arm
we worried and prayed
we failed at our role
to keep you safe from all harm

The numbers so high
started to fall
as we let out the greatest of sighs
you woke up and half smiled
and played with your toes
as our hopes continued to rise

We moved yet again
the nurses concerned
with numbers and math we must learn
your flirtation came back
with a smile on your face
so happy for a joyous return

The tubes all came out
they let us go home
we worried just how we would know
with faith, love, and books
we began our new path
of keeping you safe while you grow

Can't the bank hand out fruit to kids...not lollipops?

So I went through the bank drive through yesterday to make a deposit. I had both boys with me in the car, and we were jamming to some kid friendly music. I saw the teller getting my envelop ready, and watched her pick up two lollipops. I got annoyed. I don't know why though. When i was a kid, i loved getting lollipops from the bank. What am i supposed to say? "I'm sorry. We try and avoid simple sugars, like letting sugar syrup harden in a mold that my children can then suck on. Do you happen to have some grapes, or maybe an apple instead?" In the end, I took them, said thank you, and put them away for later. I saved them for big brother and gave Joshua something that I could carb count when we stopped. It just sucks that we have to play these chess games every moment of every day. I guess it still frustrates me a good amount because I only get these experiences on a limited basis. Unfortunately I am usually at work during the better part of the day. When the boys and I are out, just the guys, these things really make me appreciate all of the work and stress that Shannon has to deal with on a daily basis. D-Moms have to be some of the strongest people in the world. If the aren't, they fake it really well!

The boomerang should stay in Australia

When I was a kid, I loved the thought of playing with a boomerang. I had seen them in several shows and just thought they were the coolest thing ever. Then, I went to the museum of natural history on a field trip, and you will never believe what the were selling in the gift shop. For a mere several dollars, I bought my very own boomerang. We were inside so there was no way to try it out, but I was so excited. We went to a park to eat lunch after leaving the museum, and I knew I would get my chance. While everyone else scouted out the best places to sit for lunch, my best friend and I went in search for an open area to try my new toy. Now let me first say that I knew how boomerangs were supposed to work, I had seen them on tv after all. So, I guess it shouldn't have been a surprise at what happened after I threw it. I expected it to come back. I just expected to catch it with my hands and not my head. I immediately gave it to my friend and decided I didn't like boomerangs.

Guess what? Now as an adult, I like boomerangs even less. Though instead of the wooden ones hitting me in the head, it is the blood sugar boomerangs hitting me in my meter. If I have a bowl of ice cream at night and cover it accordingly, why does the body decide it must come racing back to ground zero at light speed. I can feel the boomerang coming as it zeros in. My lips get super cold and tingly. Shannon says I get this weird look in my eyes and I start acting like I've had a few Captain and diet's. The same thing happens with Joshua, my youngest. Isn't diabetes hard enough without crazy variables? Just a rant that I thought I would throw out to the choir :)

Tired of lows!?!?

Why is there no middle ground?  Does it have to be black or white, right or wrong, sweet or sour?  High or low!  That is the problem.  Joshua is either soaring up in the 300's or plummeting overnight.  He did it again last night, and we were out of bananas.  That may not seem like that big of a deal, but trust me, it is.  This kid will eat a banana in his sleep.  He won't take juice or milk overnight, it's not worth his time.  Let me tell you though, he will sit there, keep his eyes closed, and take some banana!  When we have bananas that is.  I don't know if any of you know this, but diabetes sucks! :)  As for me, it's been crazy too.  I have added a little bit of increased exercise lately, and my numbers are in the basement.  I was in the 40's three different times yesterday.  I haven't changed my eating habits.  All I did was start playing Just Dance on the Wii a little bit.  Really?  Just when I think I might be getting a handle on things, it swings the other way.  There is no getting a handle on diabetes.  There is only tolerating and troubleshooting it!  Arrrgh!